Regional Water Authority (RWA) customers in Branford will be among the first in the RWA's water district to have the water industry's latest metering technology installed beginning in May. In recent weeks, the technology was also introduced in the towns of North Branford and East Haven.

The system will allow the RWA to accurately read customers' water meters by securely transmitting a low-powered signal from an Advanced Metering Infrastructure (AMI) endpoint, a small device connected to the meter, back to the RWA's office.

This technology will upgrade how the RWA receives water consumption information, eliminate the need for manually reading customers' meters, provide early detection of water leaks and largely eliminate estimated water bills.

The RWA will deploy this new metering system to every customer in its 15-town service area over the next three years. The RWA hired Contract Callers, Inc. (CCI) to install the new advanced meter reading devices.

Installation generally takes less than an hour and involves attaching the AMI endpoint to the customer's existing water meter, usually where the existing meter reading device is located. In some cases, the RWA may need to install a new water meter to ensure compatibility with the device. There is no cost for the new meter reading device or the installation. Customers should have received a letter and flyer in early April that explains what to expect. Information about the program is also located on the RWA's website here

For customers' safety, all RWA and CCI personnel will have identification badges. CCI installers wear blue uniforms with a CCI logo. They will carry two forms of photo identification: an RWA contractor badge and a CCI badge. The contractor's vehicles are white and have CCI and RWA logos on both sides. The RWA encourages customers to always ask for identification from anyone who comes to their door and to maintain a "no identification - no entry"policy. Customers can call the RWA at 203-562-4020to verify that installers are working in their neighborhood. CCI will also register installation activities with local police departments and the RWA's Police Department.